Big week for OSW | Overcharged | It’s going to hurt
Happy Friday folks. It’s opening day at Fenway! Spring has officially sprung.
Here’s what’s big news and/or interesting this week.
It was a two-fer week for the energy industry with President Biden’s release of his huge offshore wind and infrastructure plans. We have included a lot of article links below with both local and national perspectives. Suffice to say, a lot of people are excited at the possibilities these plans bring. Of course there is caution about how much gets through Congress and the multiple hurdles to overcome – for example the siting and permitting of transmission.
In other news, MA AG Maura Healey released a report finding that Massachusetts residents who get their power through competitive electric suppliers paid $426 million more over five years than they would have if they’d stayed with their utility companies. State House News Service via WWLP has the story.
And from Jon Chesto at the Globe, “The heating oil industry is fired up about a proposal to take away energy-efficiency rebates from its customers as part of a state-led effort to wean homeowners off fossil fuels. At issue are priorities endorsed March 24 by the Energy Efficiency Advisory Council that includephasing out Mass Save rebates for new oil-fired systems for heat and hot water, as well as no-interest loans for homeowners to install them,as soon as January. Rebates for natural gas-fired and propane installations would be ratcheted back significantly. ‘It’s simply not fair,’ said Michael Ferrante, president of the Massachusetts Energy Marketers Association. ‘I wouldn’t say it’s going to cripple the industry. But it’s going to hurt us. And it’s going to hurt heating oil customers.’”
Enjoy the weekend and stay safe!
President Biden’s OSW & Infrastructure Plans
Biden touts offshore wind plan, Cape Cod Times
How to build an industry to support offshore wind, CommonWealth Magazine
Global wind industry could install almost 1 TW of new capacity by 2030, report says, Reuters
Biden Envisions Thousands of Wind Turbines Spinning at Sea, Bloomberg Green
Under Biden, will offshore wind finally drive major energy gains in the U.S.?, PBS News Hour
Biden Blueprint Seeks to Unleash Offshore Wind Energy, State House News Service
Biden sets big goal for offshore wind, CommonWealth Magazine
US Adds Offshore Wind Area off New York, RTO Insider
Biden to Push Offshore Wind Projects, Wall St. Journal
White House pushes new offshore wind power expansion, Politico
Biden makes push to expand offshore wind energy, Seafood Source
Renewable-Energy Backers Want 10-Year Tax Credits in Biden Plan, Bloomberg Green
Biden Infrastructure Plan Targets Electric Cars, Clean Power, Bloomberg Green
Biden’s infrastructure plan aims to turbocharge U.S. shift from fossil fuels, Washington Post
Biden’s Big Infrastructure Plan Would Further Boost Renewable Energy, Wall St. Journal
Climate Change
Old data slows climate change efforts, Eagle Tribune
Companies Ask Their Customers to Help Them Cut Emissions, Wall St. Journal
Massachusetts’ landmark climate law, Grist.org
Mills commits state agencies to ‘lead by example’ in climate change fight, Press Herald
Massachusetts new climate change bill ‘worth waiting for,’ Cape Cod Times
Global forest losses accelerated despite the pandemic, threatening world’s climate goals, Washington Post
Renewables/RGGI/TCI
The ‘Green Energy’ That Might Be Ruining the Planet, Politico
Mass. clean energy sector lost nearly 20,000 jobs in 2020, Boston Business Journal
The U.S. is finally looking to unlock the potential of wave energy, grist.org
Large consumers blame renewables for 2020 declines in C&I power reliability, Utility Dive
Latest FERC reports show renewables significantly out-performed nuclear power in 2020, Solar Power World
Wind
Northeast governors need Biden to deliver on offshore wind, Politico
Footprint rallying behind offshore wind, Salem News
Classes on offshore wind may become an option for New Bedford High School students, South Coast Today
Big Wind Turbines Prove No Deadlier to Wildlife Than Small Units, Bloomberg Green
Massachusetts law authorises 2.4 GW more offshore wind by 2027, Renewables Now
Solar
Schneider Microgrid and Energy Savings Program Could Cut Jersey City Costs by $21M, Microgrid Knowledge
Efficiency/Storage
The design space for long-duration energy storage in decarbonized power systems, Nature.com
EVs
Thinking of buying an electric vehicle? Read this first., Washington Post
Electric bus push behind MBTA’s purchase of Quincy property, WHDH
Elon Musk Likes This EV Battery and It Costs Less—but the U.S. Isn’t Sold on It, Wall St. Journal
Xiaomi Enters Electric Vehicle Market With $10 Billion Commitment, Wall St. Journal
Nuclear
White House Wants Nuclear in Clean Energy Mandate, McCarthy Says, Bloomberg Green
New Mexico files lawsuit to block Holtec nuclear waste facility, cites risk to oil and gas, Carlsbad Current Argus
How long can a nuclear plant run? Regulators consider 100 years, Utility Dive
New Mexico sues U.S. over proposed nuclear waste storage plans, PBS News Hour
Natural Gas/Pipelines/Oil/Drilling
Drillers Burned Off Gas at a Staggering Rate as Winter Storm Hit Texas, New York Times
As the Shift to Green Energy Speeds Up, Shell’s Big Natural-Gas Bet Is at Risk, Wall St. Journal
‘It’s going to hurt us’: Heating oil industry fights effort to eliminate state’s rebates, Boston Globe
Hearing on re-powering Hudson Valley gas plant draws lots of speakers, Times Union
Market/Grid/Policy/Prices
AG finds non-utility customers overcharged for electricity, WWLP
NYPA approves transmission line rebuild, targeting $447M in annual savings, 1 GW new capacity, Utility Dive
Biden Team Boosts Effort to Shield Power Grid From Hackers, Bloomberg
Appeals court hears arguments in CMP power line case, Press Herald
Lawyers clash over $1B hydropower transmission corridor, Salem News
Opinion
Climate change already causing power grid issues, CommonWealth Magazine
Columnist Marty Nathan: Biomass a ‘misbegotten’ climate change trend, Daily Hampshire Gazette
What’s missing from the climate change legislation,? CommonWealth Magazine
Hold on to your seats. FERC just hit the fast forward button on the clean energy transition., Utility Dive
Northeast Energy News 